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Ghibli-esque MMORPG Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds is now available to a global audience.

Studio Ghibli fans, we have good news and bad news. The good news is that Ghibli style MMORPG Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds has landed on PC, with an undeniably beautiful artstyle, JRPG mechanics and a score penned by Ghibli composer himself, Joe Hisaishi. The bad news is that in-game NFTs - and, therefore, rampant microtransactions - are likely. Though it doesn't have to spell certain doom. As long as we can trust Netmarble to steer clear of predatory monetization, that is. Ahem.

Ni No Kuni is a well-established anime JRPG series that has enjoyed over a decade's worth of success across several titles. Though the stories change, similar key features remain in the form of its distinctive art style, fantastical stories and beast-taming mechanics. And whilst Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds is based on its predecessors, it takes the main story in a unique direction as it attempts to MMO-ify the core IP.

For instance, instead of assuming the role of previous protagonists Oliver or Evan, players find themselves instead in the shoes of a beta tester tasked with testing a VR game called Soul Diver. But (and you can probably see where this is going) upon playing the title, the player is instead transported to the not-so-fictional world of Ni No Kuni, at which point the VR game crashes and your adventure begins. It's a fantasy we've all had, and the games industry will be damned if it doesn't capitalize on that forever more.

The combat system is reminiscent of preceding games Wrath Of The White Witch and Revenant Kingdoms, but of course comes with the option to choose between classes. These comprise Destroyer, Engineer, Rogue, Swordman and Witch. Players will also journey with their own 'familiar', which will take the form of one of Ni No Kuni's whimsical beasts, for us to love, treasure, spoil and send into glorious battle.

The Ghibli-style MMORPG released back in June 2021 to Japanese, Taiwanese and South Korean audiences. And it's safe to say that it has already enjoyed incredible success, netting $100m in the first week alone. Which, to put into perspective, was more than Genshin Impact.

But that's not enough for Netmarble, who in an April report on their site made it clear that the blockchain will be involved in some capacity. Though they're not quite sure how, just yet.

""In line with A3: Still Alive, Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds users will be able to acquire in-game currencies by hunting in a particular field or dungeon and exchanging them for individual game tokens and MBX…How will blockchain technology be linked to various contents of 'Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds'? We are very curious!"

If you'd like to give Ni No Kuni a whirl, then swing by the official website.